Swiss start-up creates a ‘chair you can wear’

There are many places where it’s unacceptable to plonk yourself on the floor out of tiredness: the train, the pavement, the loo. But Swiss start-up company noonee has created the a prototype for the ‘Chairless Chair’ to solve this problem and allow you to take a rest whenever, wherever you need to.

As reported on CNN, the device has been designed with factory workers in mind, who typically spend a lot of the working day standing up. The 29-year-old CEO and co-founder of the Zürich-based company, Keith Gunura, told CNN that he had worked in a UK packaging factory when he was 17.

‘Standing for hours on end causes a lot of distress to lower limbs, but most workers get very few breaks and chairs are rarely provided, because they take up too much space. So I thought that the best idea was to strap an unobtrusive chair directly to myself.’

The Chairless Chair works by being strapped to the legs and held by a belt on the hips. It moves easily with the body, allowing the wearer to walk or even run. Then when it comes to sitting down, the wearer needs only press a button and the locking-leg device will support their full body weight, allowing them to sit comfortably (although I’m sure it would take some getting used to before complete relaxation is possible!).

Powered by a single 6V battery which can last up to 24 hours, the Chairless Chair weighs only two kilograms. The five-person noonee team’s vision is to start a ‘Chairolution®’ with the aim of ‘bringing forth a new era of wearable ergonomic leg devices’.

While this product is attracting a lot of interest from the likes of Audi and BMW, it’s still a rather bizarre concept which may take a while to reach mainstream status. Would you be willing to strap on one of these for the sake of a quick recess?

Staff Writer
Sadie has written for many UK publications and won the Clothes Show Live Young Journalist of the Year 2014. She loves travelling, live music and seeking out weird and wonderful events to go to. In her spare time she gets nostalgic about the '60s and explores (gets lost in) London on her bike.